Rear-Admiral Bill Higgins, who has died aged 78, defied the Thatcher
government as secretary of the D-Notice Committee, a post to which
he had been appointed following 40 years of faultless service in the
Navy.

Shortly after taking over in 1986 as steward of this discreet body,
which exists to issue official guidance to the media over the
disclosure of sensitive information about national security, Higgins
found himself faced with what became known as "the Zircon affair".
This was a row over a television film, made for the BBC by the
investigative journalist Duncan Campbell, about a secret spy
satellite. In the event, the corporation decided not to show the
programme, and Campbell was reduced to writing an article about it
in the New Statesman.

Higgins found himself between the media on one side and Margaret
Thatcher on the other. The prime minister was furious, and the
Speaker refused to let the film be shown in the Commons. Meanwhile,
civil liberties organisations showed the film all around the
country, raising the prospect of large numbers of prosecutions which
might well have failed.

The prime minister had never been enamoured of the D-notice
committee, and now she was inspired to an even greater dislike of
its voluntary and advisory nature. The Cabinet Office was given the
brief of controlling the flood of articles and books that followed
the publication of Spycatcher by the former MI5 officer Peter
Wright.

Higgins was told that everything he did had to be run past the
Cabinet Office, and that he must follow its instructions. He
resisted, recognising that this would destroy the voluntary system
that had worked since 1912 and fearing that it would lead to more
censorship. Supported by his chairman, Sir Clive Whitmore, Permanent
Under-Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, he got his way.

Two years later Mrs. Thatcher tried again, attempting to prevent the
publication of a book about MI6 by the Conservative MP Rupert
Allason
(writing as Nigel West).
While the Tory party whips applied pressure on Allason, Higgins was
told to cease talking to the author and his publisher, to whom he
had been giving advice.

He was ordered to communicate only in writing, having first cleared
his drafts with the Attorney-General, something which he decided was
both unacceptable and unworkable. The law officers were again
pessimistic about whether litigation would work, and Mrs Thatcher
and her press secretary conceded that the D-Notice system, under
Higgins's care, was the most effective way to keep national secrets
– as opposed to political embarrassments – out of the public eye.

When the Government amended the Official Secrets Act in 1989,
Higgins was able to reassure the media that, whatever else might be
to their detriment, it would not affect D-Notices. Subsequently, he
negotiated hard with officials to ensure that his promises to the
media were kept.

Throughout his six years in the job Higgins was guided by a personal
rule that under the operation of the system no individual should
ever be put at risk. He did much to improve public understanding of
the system and dealt urbanely with editors, who rang him frequently.
They usually took his advice, even erring on the side of caution, he
recalled. Higgins found himself advising against publication on only
about a dozen occasions a year.

Although the existence of D-Notices had been declassified only in
1981, inquirers found him disarmingly refreshing and open. When the
political philosopher Moyra Grant rang Whitehall, she was
immediately put through to Higgins, who began by joking that
presumably none of her students were anarchists, and then surprised
her with his openness. A day later her post brought a list of the
D-Notices currently in force, together with an explanatory note from
Higgins.

William Alleyne Higgins was born on May 18 1928, the son of
Commander Henry Gray Higgins, who had won a DSO in 1917 while
commanding a submarine in the Adriatic.

After Wellington, which he hated, Bill entered the Royal Naval
College on September 1 1945, while it was still at its wartime
location of Eaton Hall; he was therefore one of the last people to
qualify for a war gratuity. In his particularly talented term of 55
Special Entry cadets were four future admirals, a commodore, nine
captains and 17 commanders.

Four months later Higgins was sent to sea for the first time. He
served as captain's secretary in the maintenance carrier Unicorn
during the Korean War and then as secretary to the then Captain
Michael le Fanu at the boys' training establishment, HMS Ganges. Le
Fanu reported that he "envied anyone who is fortunate enough to have
Higgins as his supply officer or secretary".

Higgins held increasingly important jobs in the Ministry of Defence.
When he was deputy secretary to the Chiefs of Staff, his immediate
boss — a fiercely intelligent and fiery senior Army officer —
regarded him as a tower of strength. He became secretary to the
First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Terry Lewin, who appreciated the
apparently effortless ease with which Higgins discharged his heavy
responsibilities and dealt with people.

On promotion to rear-admiral, Higgins was appointed the last Flag
Officer Medway, when the Kent dockyard was about to be closed after
300 years. His arrival at Chatham was greeted with the headline
"John Nott's hatchet man has arrived", but he was an inspired choice
for the job. Thanks to his natural courtesy and genuine concern, he
quickly created an atmosphere of co-operation. In particular he
tried to find alternative employment for the civilian staff and to
attract new businesses to the former naval base.

Higgins was then made Director General, Naval Personnel Services,
and Chief Naval Supply and Secretariat Officer, the head of a branch
which had evolved from the pursers and clerks of the sailing navy
and now had to develop a new strength as the Navy's logisticians.

He was appointed CBE in 1980 and CB five years later.

Bill Higgins was an accomplished handyman: painting and decorating,
repairs to furniture, plumbing, mending antique clocks and restoring
vintage cars were all well within his compass. He was offended by
the wrongs in the world, against which he would often speak out, and
he would make door-to-door collections for charities. Only illness
prevented him from joining the march for peace in London to try to
avert the invasion of Iraq.

With his brother Bob, a submariner, Higgins started to climb
mountains in 1946. The two made their first ascent in the Cairngorms
without proper boots or rucksacks and taking a tent which had no
fastening door-flap. On Easter Sunday Higgins wrote in his diary
that they "breakfasted on iced porridge in a snow squall"; they had
modelled their rations on Scott's last expedition, forgetting that
the polar party had starved to death.

Higgins was a member of the Fell and Rock Climbing Club for 60 years
and one of the founder members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines
Mountaineering Club. Aged 74 he climbed three Munros in a day, to
bring his total to 259, and was planning to complete all 276 when he
died on January 20.

Bill Higgins married, in 1963, Wiltraud Hiebaum, who survives
him with their two sons and a daughter.
--------------------

05 Jul 2009

The Wiltshire Archæological and
Natural History Magazine By
Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society - Dec. 1897

Richard Higgins. Born July 1st, 1816. Died June 24th*, 1894.
He was the son of poor parents — William and Sarah Higgins,
of Everley, and began life as an apprentice in a general shop at
Ludgershall. By his industry and energy he raised himself from one
position to another until he became city traveler to the large lace
firm of Fisher & Co., and on the death of Mr. Fisher he began
business on his own account. A man of fine physique, of high
character and great enterprise, the firm which he founded—that of
Messrs. Higgins, Eagle, & Co., of Cannon St., London, met with much
success, and in the latter part of his life he purchased " The
Oaks," near Epsom, formerly well known as a residence of the Earls
of Derby. He died in London, and was buried in
Abney Park Cemetery.

SERGEANT PILOT WILLIAM BURLEY HIGGINS
William Burley Higgins
Born 27th September 1913
Born at Sherwood Cottage, Belph, Derbyshire
Died 14th September 1940
24th September 1940
Buried at St Lawrence Churchyard, Whitwell.

Source Information: Vessel "Crocodile" Census Place Royal Navy, England
Family History Library Film 1342354 Public Records Office Reference RG11
Piece / Folio 5633 / 32 Page Number 51
Off Site Link to Photo
of the Vessel Crocodile